Show HN: I made an app that helps you find where to stream movies and TV shows

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reception and use case

  • Many commenters find the app fast, clean, and more pleasant than competing sites.
  • Core value seen as: showing where content is streamable across countries, useful for travel or VPN use.
  • Some users say they will adopt it as a primary search tool; others “don’t see the point” given accuracy issues.

Comparison to existing services

  • Frequently compared to JustWatch, PlayPilot, werstreamt.es, Apple TV app, and others.
  • Several note JustWatch has become cluttered and ad-heavy, making this app’s minimal UI attractive.
  • Others argue JustWatch is more accurate because it works directly with providers and already supports country switching.

Data accuracy and coverage

  • Multiple reports of wrong or missing availability:
    • Netflix and Prime titles shown where they are not actually available.
    • Some shows/movies missing entirely or seasons not distinguished.
    • Certain regions (Austria, Norway, New Zealand, niche services like Viki, Neon, TVNZ+, PlutoTV, Acorn, MHz Choice) not well covered.
  • Creator acknowledges relying on a third-party (non-official) API and treating reliability as a main area for improvement.
  • Another commenter identifies that API as a specific streaming-availability service and notes missing attribution required by its terms.

VPN focus and monetization concerns

  • The app prominently promotes NordVPN; many see a clear VPN-affiliate business model.
  • Confusion arises when the UI makes it look like content is available in a user’s own country “via VPN” even when it’s natively available or not actually on that service.
  • Some accuse the site of being essentially an affiliate funnel and question whether data is biased or simply inaccurate.

Feature requests and UX feedback

  • Strong demand for:
    • A top-level country selector and GeoIP-based default.
    • Filters by subscribed services, language, subtitles, audio, and VPN provider locations.
    • A/B country comparisons (e.g., “available in France but not Germany”).
    • Alerts when unavailable titles become available.
    • “New to streaming” lists, A–Z catalogs by service, better mobile density, direct deep links, persistent search queries, URL-based search.
  • Various minor UI issues noted: sorting (e.g., United Kingdom), hover behavior, horizontal overflow bugs.

Piracy and alternative solutions

  • Many commenters argue torrents, Stremio (with plugins/Real-Debrid), and Usenet still provide the most convenient, reliable access.
  • Discussion of VPN arms race, residential IPs, and legal/ToS gray areas around using VPNs to bypass geo-restrictions.